A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Today’s historical romance feature is Promises of the Heart (first novel in the series) by Scarlett Rains. We’ll be featuring one of Scarlett’s GIVEAWAY BOOKS each day from January 18-20. But, don’t stop there. Be sure to follow the tour to find out more about these wonderful novels and their fascinating author. You can follow the tour and enter the GIVEAWAY right here. GOOD LUCK & HAPPY READING! —Bette A. Stevens

Promises of the Heart

When Amelia Fitzailwyn, Duchess of Kensington, is orphaned at a very young age, she must leave home and travel to her new guardian’s estate . She embarks on the journey with her beloved governess, Rachel: wishing all the while that her Uncle William would somehow rescue her. To her delight, he does! Uncle William is her new guardian…and he has two sons! Amelia happily settles in to life at Havenwood Manor with her new family.

The Stage is Set!

What are the servants whispering about? Have they noticed all those heated looks between Uncle and Rachel? Amelia sees mysteries everywhere…and would solve them all if her cousins would leave her alone long enough to do her research! She wishes John, the eldest, would keep his nose out of her affairs and poke it back in his theme book, How to be the Most Boring Personage in the Realm. And Alex, the skirt chasing hypocrite, irritates her even more: going on-and-on about her one little rendezvous with Simon.

Time Will Tell!

When it turns out Uncle, is not really her uncle, Amelia begins to see the irksome boys in a new light. In fact, she plans to marry one of them! Will John stop straining his steely grey eyes reading and see her for the woman she is? Or will Alex stop pulling the curl out of her hair long enough to notice the sheen of it as it wraps around his finger? Solve the mystery, dear reader, as you enjoy this delightful tale of a young woman’s coming of age in Georgian England.

Amazon Review

Amelia Fitzailwyn is a precocious and incorrigible imp. We meet Amelia when she’s 7 years old in Promises of the Heart by Scarlett Rains. This 18th century tale meanders through time and stories at the usual pace of these stories — slowly, artfully and colorfully! Amelia loves nature’s creatures and enjoys bringing them inside to the complete annoyance of most of the females surrounding her. (Yet, it makes for such funny moments when her little ‘friends’ are found…)

The tale unfolds bit by bit introducing rich characters that are vivid and noble. But in true form, Rains’ characters are also completely over the top! They feel life’s little slights so keenly that it makes them richly flamboyant. We first see this in Amelia’s parents who after years of marriage love each other desperately. Tragedy strikes and Amelia is left bereft of them and the story begins in earnest.

Shortly before the tragedy, Amelia’s parents acquire a governess, Rachel; a Baroness in her own right. We then begin our journey of finding out Rachel’s story and how it intertwines with Amelia’s. You see, everything revolves around Amelia! Amelia’s appointed ward has required that Amelia leave her home and travel across the country to his estate to live henceforth. With abandonment and trust issues now firmly in place, Amelia is terrified and Rachel is barely able to comfort her.

However, the long trip ends successfully and Amelia learns she is to live with a trusted friend of the family along with his young sons who become Amelia’s best friends.

There is so much more mystery and intrigue that happens in between these large events pointed out here but to tell them would ruin the surprise and enjoyment of this story. Promises of the Heart is the perfect story if you want to read about love, the elite and their machinations to enjoy life and get ahead in this much less technological time period.

Promises of the Heart is a lovely first book in the Heart series. Fans of historical fiction &/or historical romance would do well to read it.

About the author:

Scarlett Rains was raised in an orphanage, survived that and breast cancer! She considers all of it a blessing, refuses to let anything stop her; insisting that life is what you make it! Scarlett is a person who will spout optimistic ‘truths’ with her last breath! She is a busy grandma juggling a hectic schedule to try to balance her family’s needs (including her insular cat’s hissy-fits and her demanding dog’s pathetic begging for belly rubs) and still manage a few minutes to write her stories. She often awakens from a sound sleep, jumps up, snatches a cup of coffee and hides in her office behind locked doors typing 18th century romance novels. Scarlett believes escaping her day-to-day responsibilities by living vicariously in the lives of the characters she creates keeps her out of trouble …and saves the cost of psychotherapy services. The author’s delightful Sisters of the Heart Series books are enjoyed by readers around the world. Scarlett loves receiving feedback and ideas from her readers.